Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)
Active learning is having students engage in some activity that forces them to think about and comment on the information presented. Students won't simply be listening, but will be developing skills in handling concepts in our disciplines. T hey will analyze, synthesize and evaluate information in discussion with other students, through asking questions or through writing. Students will be engaged in activities that force them to reflect upon ideas and upon how they are using those ideas (Speaking of Teaching, Vol. 5 No. 1).
It has been found that student attention span starts to dramatically decrease about 12-15 minutes after the start of a lecture. Students who actively engage with the material are more likely to recall information later and be able to use that information in different contexts.
All genuine learning is active, not passive. It is a process of discovery in which the student is the main agent, not the teacher (Adler, 1982)
As a pedagogy, CL involves the entire spectrum of
learning activities in which groups of students work together in or out
of class. It can be as simple and informal as pairs working together in
a Think-Pair-Share procedure, where students consider a question
individually, discuss their ideas with another student to form a
consensus answer, and then share their results with the entire class, to
the more formally structured process known as cooperative learning.
Dr.
Theodore Panitz, EdD and Patricia
Panitz, MLS
Researchers report that, regardless of the subject
matter, students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is
taught and retain it longer than when the same content is presented in
other instructional formats. Students who work in collaborative groups
also appear more satisfied with their classes. (Sources: Beckman, 1990;
Chickering and Gamson, 1991; Collier, 1980; Cooper and Associates, 1990;
Goodsell, Maher, Tinto, and Associates, 1992; Johnson and Johnson, 1989;
Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Kohn, 1986; McKeachie, Pintrich, Lin,
and Smith, 1986; Slavin, 1980, 1983; Whitman, 1988)
Tools for Teaching
by Barbara Gross Davis;
Jossey-Bass
Publishers: San Francisco, 1993
Wilkerson and Gijselaers (1996) claim that PBL [Problem Based Learning] is characterized by a student-centered approach, teachers as “facilitators rather than disseminators,” and open-ended problems (in PBL, these are called “ill-structured”) that “serve as the initial stimulus and framework for learning” (pp. 101-102).
Problem based learning provides students with opportunities to:
examine
and try out what they know
discover
what they need to learn
develop
people skills for achieving higher performance in teams
improve
communications skills
state
and defend positions with evidence and sound argument
become
more flexible in processing information and meeting obligations
practice skills that they will need after graduation